T H E O P H I L U S

Instructions for today’s devotional: Take time with today’s scripture reading 1 Kings 19:1-18. Take notes, and pray on your reflection of the passage. If you can make time, do this more than once today and may the Lord speak to you even more profoundly through your time with Him.

Sometimes life can be so difficult that we just want to run. At some point, we may have experienced this feeling where life seems like it is throwing too much at you at one time. What do we do in those circumstances? Some of us hide, some of us fight, and some of us just bury everything deep within and then find ourselves in a complete mental breakdown. This is not a new phenomenon of life, but rather the state of our human brokenness. Elijah, one of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament was not immune to this broken emotional state either. Scripture says he was “afraid and ran for his life”, and he even says to the Lord “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” He had lost all confidence, all wisdom, and even his physical strength to move on. In fact he was completely exhausted and burned out by his circumstances. But it is in his broken and exhausted state he had to slow down, and in his most vulnerable moment God was able to heal, strengthen, restore, and bring repurpose and bring even more anointing to Elijah’s call.

Elijah goes to Horeb, the mountain of God (v.8-18)

The most significant part of this passage is that Elijah travels forty days and forty nights. He pursued after the presence of God. He found solitude and aloneness with the Lord. When we are in the most troubled of times and circumstances, we often try to fight it out, withdraw into ourselves through finding other means of relief, or crawl into depression. What we effectively do when we choose those solutions is perpetuate more difficult circumstances. It causes us more conflict in our churches, we find that our homes, family, and friendships are torn apart, and find ourselves falling into a deep hole of insecurity, fear, bitterness, pain, negativity and even further from God’s presence.

It is of utmost importance then to respond to circumstances that drag us down by not being torn down, but settling down. By resting in the Lord and in Him only so that we may get back up. If we are to walk, then we ought to walk as Elijah did. Not chasing after the things of God, but rather God himself. If we are to take time it is so that we may be in pursuit of a deeper relationship with Him. Although God loves those who serve him and with all their physical and emotional energy work for His kingdom, it is not what he ultimately takes pleasure in (The story of Martha and Mary is a prime example of this). Making Martyrs of ourselves (although we are called to take up the cross and follow him), does not mean we become martyrs for the sake of church work and religious duty. We must make a distinction there – it is for the sake of sharing the gospel and in living in our relationship with Christ – that is love! And that is how he loved us first. Such martrydom is tireless and worth giving one’s life for. Self-righteous and religious martyrdom is completely and atrociously vain and has no place in the story of salvation.

When we choose to seek God and rest first in His presence, and when we choose to submit to his Grace and Power which He displays, not we and not me, is where we will find restoration and repurpose. It is not in the wind and the earthquakes which come and go; it is not even in a fire which can easily be put out; but in the whisper of God’s voice and presence – in the stillness and quietness of solitude that we find our strength with God. It is there the Lord wants to rejuvenate you, fill you and water you with his Grace so that you may continue on this journey and climb the mountains which we will face until we reach heaven in His time.

Find strength and courage in the Lord today. If you need to withdraw, then withdraw into his presence so that He may reveal to you his powerful Grace and Mercy in His Son Jesus Christ, and heal you inside and out to restore you through the Holy Spirit. May you know the sufficiency of His love, and the greatness of His name which spurs us on forward in joining the grandeur of his will.

“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength.”

Isaiah 30:15